


Leave It In My Dreams

by ABewilderedBear



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Anxiety, Apologies, Billy Hargrove Is Bad at Feelings, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Drink Spiking, Drug Use, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Post-Season/Series 02, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2020-10-27 14:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20761679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABewilderedBear/pseuds/ABewilderedBear
Summary: Steve feels like there's a weight on his chest. He can't get up, even as he tries to pull himself up by the curtain next to him.His legs don't work, what is he gonna do-"Jesus, Harrington." Billy murmurs, and Steve flinches at how close they are. Billy's fingers gently brush against Steve's chin to tilt his head up, and holy shit, his eyes are diamonds, Steve realizes."What the fuck did you drink, man?" Billy asks, and he sounds like he's underwater.(Five times Steve thought that maybe Billy wasn't such an asshole after all.)





	1. I

**1.** The first time it happens, it's in the parking lot of Hawkins Middle.

Steve is leaning on the Beemer, waiting to pick up Lucas and Dustin from AV Club. There's not much else in the parking lot, save for a couple of cars, and Billy Hargrove smoking against his Camaro fifteen feet away. The kids come out eventually, splitting off into three ways. Will and Mike into Jonathan's car, Dustin and Lucas to Steve's, and Max to Billy's.

Unfortunately, Billy stops leaning on his stupid blue car, only to say: "Sinclair, I need to talk to you."

So Lucas pauses, turning around from the now open door of the Beemer. "What?"

Steve thinks about the bat that's still in the trunk of his car, and glances to Max.

Max is definitely not looking at him, instead zeroed in on Billy walking closer to Lucas. She looks like she wants to murder Billy, like she wishes she was Eleven and could throw him across the lot.

Billy talks low enough that Steve, Dustin, or Max can’t catch nearly anything of what he’s saying. He’s leaned down, looking Lucas straight in the eyes. Lucas doesn’t look scared, more ready to kick the guy in the balls again if anything. Steve starts inching around to the right side of his car, in order to intervene. 

“We good?” Billy asks, straightening up. 

“Uh-” Lucas starts, surprised, _ really _ surprised by whatever just happened. “I got what you said.”

“Cool.” Billy says, turning back to his car. He completely misses the look that Steve sees Max give him. Lucas, Dustin, and Steve watch Billy start the Camaro and peel out of the parking lot with Max.

“What the hell was that?” Dustin immediately asks first.

"Did he threaten you or something?” Steve wonders, turning to look at the two of them.

“No, he.. apologized to me? He must’ve hit his head or something, because it almost felt like he meant it.” 

-

The next day, it’s the same scene. Steve and Billy are leaning against their cars, outside of Hawkins Middle. There’s about 10 minutes before AV Club is over.

Billy stops leaning against his car after about 2 minutes, and walks right over to Steve. 

“Hey, Harrington. I need to tell you something.”

Steve blinks, and as weird as yesterday was, he wasn’t expecting Billy to come close _ again_. “Alright, man.”

Billy takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry that I fucked your face up, and that I hit you over the head with a plate. I was pissed, but there’s no excuse for taking it out on you or Sinclair. I’ll lay off you and the geeks, just don’t-” He clenches his fists. “Don’t lie. If there’s something you can’t tell me, just fucking _ say that. _” He stands there for a long minute, just unclenching and clenching his fists over and over. 

It makes Steve think of Billy just weeks ago. Billy, yelling about the idea of seeing “King Steve” in action, Billy, throwing him onto the floor, and Billy, laughing in the face of pain.

Steve feels like he’s watching someone desperately trying to reign a rabid dog in.

“You don’t have to forgive me, Harrington. I’m not asking for it, I don’t even think I want it. If you laid one on me right now, I don’t think I’d blame you either.”

They stare at each other as silence stretches over the parking lot. Billy just waits, as if Steve is about to go through with it.

“I’m not gonna hit you, dude.” Steve eventually says, uncomfortable.

“Whatever. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” Billy responds, suddenly quieter. He turns around to head back to the Camaro. 

“Wait!” Steve watches Billy turn around, looking at him expectantly. “I appreciate it, man. A lot, actually. See you tomorrow?”

There’s the ghost of a real grin on Billy’s face, and he looks down. Steve thinks that maybe things really have changed since Max swung the bat.

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow, Harrington.”


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the story has changed!

**2.** "Max! Let’s go!”

“I’m coming, hold on!”

Billy huffs. He leans down to peek out the window, before straightening up again. “I’m waiting in the car.” He ultimately says, swinging open the door and stepping outside. He leaves it open, with the intention of maybe having Max come out sooner that way.

What does make Max come out instantly is Billy stepping on the fucking skateboard she left outside the house and landing right on his ass, with a loud “FUCK!”.

She stares at him as he throws the already-broken skateboard aside, and as he tries to pick himself up off the floor. Billy grunts, rolling his shoulders once he stands. “Max,” He snarls, like the old, pre-bat incident Billy just suddenly bleeds out of him. “why was that there?”

“I didn’t know it was there. I thought I moved it.” Max tries to say defiantly, suddenly pissed at the idea that he might try to step on her all over again. She’s scared, but she wouldn’t let it show. She  _ wouldn’t. _

They had been doing so much better lately.

“Come here.”

“Why?”

“Max, I’m not fucking kidding.” Billy leans down to look her in the eyes, waiting for her to come closer. Max eventually does, stepping forward to stare at him right back.

He puts his hands on her shoulders, which she resists. Billy holds a little bit tighter in response, stopping her from escaping. “Listen to me, you can’t do that again.  _ Ever _ again, do you understand?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose, asshole. Let go.” Max responds, trying to squirm out of the hold again.

“I know you didn’t, fucking  _ listen _ !” Billy barks, and she actually stops moving entirely.

“Max, there are some mistakes that you can’t-” He pauses, thinking of what to say. “You can’t afford to make, okay? You  _ can’t _ . I’ve done a lot of shit, and I’ve paid for it. I need- uh, I need to make sure you don’t pay for this. Because you didn’t mean it. Some people don’t care about that.”

Billy looks tired, like this wasn’t a conversation that he even wanted to have. He looks like he wants to run away, or jump into the car. He’s barely even making eye contact with her anymore.

“Like Neil?” Max asks, warily.

“Especially Neil. I don’t want him to fucking- do something.”

"Why do you care?

Max feels the grip on her shoulders tighten more, and if it was any harder it would hurt. 

“Because I don’t want you to end up like me.” Billy gets out fast, like it came out before he could stop himself from saying it. He lets go of her to straighten back up, as if he hadn’t done anything. Billy spares a glance at the broken skateboard, even bending down to pick it up and shove it at her. “Go get your shit. I have to forge a doctor’s note so they don’t call Neil or Susan.”

The car ride is silent until they reach Hawkins Middle, where Billy hands her the crumpled doctor’s note.

“You want a longboard for Christmas, right?”

Max blinks, surprised. It wasn’t like she was getting one, so she didn’t really expect anyone to remember that. The only person who even really knew what a longboard was, was Billy. They were hard to get too, and a lot of people who had one in California had made their own. “Uh, yeah, why?”

Billy actually laughs, for the first time since Steve Harrington punched him. “Just wondering, I guess. Go to class.”

-

Weeks later, when Max finishes telling her story to the Party and Steve, she holds up the homemade longboard Billy somehow got, with the phrase “MADMAX” painted neatly in black onto the underside of the board.

Steve can’t help but look at it and think about the papers he’d had to peer edit, and how Billy’s handwriting looks  _ just _ like that.


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: I will warn that this chapter pretty much entirely involves drink spiking / a major character getting roofied. It's also written with the perspective of that character, so there is somewhat unreliable narrating with descriptions of feelings of high anxiety / discomfort / confusion. If any of this is triggering to you, I would recommend you to skip this chapter.

**3\. **Steve remembers when he used to be friends with Tommy. 

They used to hang out, stuck with glue almost as strong as the one that held Tommy and Carol together. Steve had met him in preschool.

He could say the relationship was good at some point, but they had ruined things with each other so bad it was hardly forgivable, and at some point the relationship had turned kind of rotten. Nancy was the straw that broke the camel's fucking back.

So when he sees Carol whooping and chasing Tommy down the stairs at some guy's party, he turns away and tries to ignore them.

Steve looks longingly at the door, regretting the decision to come here. There's no one he even fucking talks to here. So what if it's pretty much his last high school party, right?

He sets his cup on, well, something, and heads for the door.

Tommy blocks it.

"Didn't think I'd see you here, Square-ington. Haven't seen you at a party since Halloween."

"Now you have, man. It'll be the last time too, so you can move."

"You probably just got here, man. No way. Let's have fun, now that you're not with Wheeler."

Steve pretty much stares, and expects Tommy to eventually move. He just stares back.

"Since it really is our last party together, huh? I'm moving out of Hawkins with Carol the day after I graduate." Tommy adds sincerely, because he's the worst fucking liar.

And _ that _ makes Steve roll his eyes. Of course Tommy would play into his feelings like that, whether he meant to or not. The kids have made him soft.

Maybe there was something from a very complicated friendship still there, too. They _ grew up together _.

"..You do some dumb shit and I'm out, alright?" Steve says, a little annoyed, and looks at the drink Tommy shoves at him. "What is this?" 

"Same shit you were drinking earlier, come on."

So Tommy drags Steve away to meet up with some others. Tommy introduces them all, as Steve remembers catching glances of them in the halls. They all half-ass interest (“It _ is _ Harrington, right?”), or don't even bother at all. It reaches a point where Steve drinks his entire cup out of boredom, rejecting Tommy's offer for another.

There's shouting gradually getting louder, and Steve cranes his head to see what's going on.

"It's a keg stand, Harrington. Remember those?" Tommy asks, giving him a jab.

"Yeah, dipshit." Steve says, staring out the patio door. He can't catch the person doing the stand, just his jeans.

The shouting crescendos and a maniacal laugh follows. People come flooding back in, making it feel like there’s a whole lot less air in the room.

There’s an incredible sense of deja-vu, especially when Billy Hargrove comes in from the patio, wiping his mouth and making a bee-line towards Steve and Tommy. Fuck.

“Didn’t think I’d catch you here, Harrington.” He says when he walks up, as if Tommy isn’t right there.

“Neither did anyone else, man.” Steve responds, suddenly feeling disoriented. “I’m- gonna head upstairs real quick.” 

Maybe it’s the anxiety. There’s this creeping feeling he’s been getting, ever since _ everything _ started happening. Sometimes he’ll stare outside just to see if he can see anything in the distance. Sometimes he won’t look through a curtain or open a door for days. Whatever he’s feeling right now, that’s gotta be what it is.

He got upstairs before either Tommy or Billy could say anything. Steve starts opening and closing a few doors before finding the thankfully empty master bedroom. 

After pacing for a minute, he finally decides to settle in front of the window and look out at the woods. Countless hours have been spent like this, but he’d honestly probably never tell.

Steve doesn’t know how long he stands and stares out the window. He starts feeling dizzy after a while, and the loud sound of a door opening makes him turn so fast he falls over.

Something’s _ wrong. _ Steve feels like there's a weight on his chest. He can't get up, even as he tries to pull himself up by the curtain next to him.

His legs don't work, what is he gonna do-

"Jesus, Harrington." Billy (when did Billy get in here?) murmurs, and Steve flinches at how close they are. Billy's fingers gently brush against Steve's chin to tilt his head up, and _ holy shit, his eyes are diamonds, _ Steve realizes.

"What the fuck did you drink, man?" Billy asks, and he sounds like he's underwater.

"I don't know." Steve slurs, grabbing onto something other than the curtain and holding on. He tries to pull himself up and he _ can't. _

Billy shifts around on the floor, before he sticks his hand under Steve's armpit? He uses his other arm to pull closer. Steve feels himself raise up slightly. "What the fuck?"

"C'mon, Stevie." Billy mumbles, and then literally pulls Steve up off the floor before he can even react. They both nearly fall over.

"My legs are asleep." Steve comments, still clinging onto Billy as they both stumble over to the bed. He feels even more gross all of a sudden, with Billy stinking of cigarettes, alcohol and cologne. Steve turns his head to look at the bed once he lands. The design on the comforter is migraine-inducing. It’s _ moving. _

Steve stares blankly at it, his mouth hanging open slightly.

There's a faint pounding from the music downstairs. Someone whoops distantly.

"Jesus, Stevie. HEY! Did you _ drink _ too much?” Billy asks again, louder. He shakes Steve a little, who accidentally drools straight onto his jeans. Just a little. 

Billy throws his hands up exaggeratedly, before hooking his arms under Steve’s pits to pull him up again. He holds up the mostly dead weight by slinging Steve’s arm around his shoulders, then opening the door. 

The entire house feels louder, more people must have come in. They stumble down the stairs, making it to the living room. Billy finds Carol leaning against the wall nearby, craning his head while Steve struggles with the front door.

“Get your boyfriend by my car in two minutes or I’ll fucking drag him there. I need to talk to him.” Billy says, nearly slapping Steve’s hand away from the knob to pull it open himself.

They stumble to the Camaro, the door closing just as fast as it was swung open. There’s almost nobody outside, maybe just a few people hanging around near their cars. Billy stands in front of his own, arms crossed.

Tommy comes out, squinting once he sees Steve in the car. “The fuck’s going on?”

It completely sets Billy off. 

“What the fuck happened, Hagan?”

“What?”

Billy grabs Tommy by his jacket and throws him onto the hood of the Camaro. He pulls Tommy’s arm back behind him, tight. “What fucking happened? Why’s he all- fucking- drooling on his pants and shit?”

“_What? _ I just grabbed some drink off a table, I swear to God, Billy. I fucking swear. I wouldn’t fucking do anything.” 

Billy stays still for a moment, before furiously shoving him onto the ground. Tommy turns over, grabbing the collar of Billy’s jacket with both hands and knocking their heads together. 

There’s a crowd by the time Billy is almost done whaling on Tommy. Billy gets pulled straight off, looking fucking feral as he decides to head to the Camaro. He rubs the middle of his forehead, rolling down the window of the car once he gets in.

“Harrington. Give me your keys.” 

Steve digs for them for about a whole minute, nearly dropping them once he holds them out.

Billy throws the keys out of the car near Tommy, and yells: “Drive that fucking car to Steve’s if you know what’s good for you!”

Steve’s falling asleep as they peel out of the driveway.

-

Steve wakes up in his bed.

He’s fully clothed, minus his shoes, which he spots by the door. There’s a glass of water sitting on his nightstand, using a half-assed note as a placemat. Steve drinks the water and reads the note.

**KEYS IN THE BUSH. STOLE A BEER.**

**IF YOU WANT TO TALK, TELL MAX TO GIVE ME THE RADIO.**

**-BILLY**

He feels fucked up, and unnerved at the idea of not remembering the night before.

Steve keeps the note for when he’s ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't as long as I would have liked it, sorry! I also know I took a long time to update, but I haven't forgotten about any of what I've written.

**Author's Note:**

> Title named after Leave It In My Dreams by The Voidz.


End file.
